System and method for highly dynamic spectrum sharing

Abstract

Various embodiments comprise systems, methods, architectures, mechanisms and apparatus configured to enable wireless stations to use their shared spectrum grants proximate a priority/incumbent user of the shared spectrum by generating a propagation model of the priority/incumbent user, determining a potential interference therewith by each of at least one group of similarly located wireless stations proximate the priority user, determining a modification to a spectrum grant for each wireless station group that would avoid interference with the priority/incumbent user by the respective wireless stations of the group, and updating the spectrum grants of each wireless station in a wireless station group using the determined spectrum grant modification associated with the wireless station group.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 granting shared spectrum use rights to wireless stations in a wireless network; 
 identifying operation proximate at least some of the wireless stations in an environment of the wireless network of a priority user of a shared spectrum; 
 using incumbent informer provider (IIP) data to generate a propagation model of spectral and temporal use of the shared spectrum by the priority user; 
 identifying, within at least the wireless stations proximate the priority user, one or more groups of similarly located wireless stations; 
 determining, for each group of wireless stations, a spectrum grant modification that would avoid interference with the priority user; and 
 updating respective spectrum grants of each wireless station within a group of wireless stations in accordance with the spectrum grant modification determined for the group. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the priority user of the shared spectrum comprises a RAdio Detection And Ranging (RADAR) system. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein each wireless station group comprising a plurality of wireless stations in a defined geographic area, each of the wireless stations within a wireless station group being configured for shared mode operation in substantially the same manner. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the IIP data comprises for the RADAR system a location, operating frequency, direction of use, and timing of use. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the shared mode operation for a wireless station comprises operating on an allowed channel during an allowed time slot. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the allowed time slot for the wireless station is calculated using a location of the wireless station, a location of the RADAR system, and a phase of operation of the RADAR system. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the shared mode operation for the wireless station group comprises operating on an allowed channel during an allowed time slot. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the allowed time slot for the wireless station group is calculated using a location of the wireless station group, a location of the RADAR system, and a phase of operation of the RADAR system. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 configuring each of at least the proximate wireless stations to cease shared spectrum transmissions during at least one common time slot; 
 receiving sensed energy gathered by an environmental sensing network during the at least one common time slot; and 
 augmenting the IIP data with incumbent spectrum user information determined using the sensed energy. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the IIP data is augmented with additional data calculated in response to sensed energy from an environmental sensing (ES) network. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the sensed energy from the ES network is sensed during a quiet period during which wireless devices do not use the granted spectrum. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the quiet period is enabled by updating spectrum grants of wireless devices to prevent spectrum usage during the quiet period. 
     
     
       13. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a digital processing apparatus of a computerized network apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:
 grant one or more use rights of a shared spectrum to a plurality of wireless stations in a wireless network; 
 identify one or more of the plurality of wireless stations proximate to a priority user of the shared spectrum; 
 use incumbent informer provider (IIP) data to generate a propagation model of spectral and temporal use of the shared spectrum by the priority user; 
 identify, within at least the one or more of the plurality of wireless stations proximate the priority user, one or more similarly located wireless stations; 
 determine, for at least the one or more similarly located wireless stations, at least one spectrum grant modification that would avoid interference with the priority user; and 
 update at least one spectrum grant for the one or more similarly located wireless stations in accordance with the at least one spectrum grant modification. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the identification of the one or more of the plurality of wireless stations proximate to the priority user of the shared spectrum comprises identification of one or more of the plurality of wireless stations proximate to a RAdio Detection And Ranging (RADAR) system having higher priority rights than the one or more of the plurality of wireless stations. 
     
     
       15. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the one or more similarly located wireless stations comprise a group of wireless stations in a defined geographic area, each of the wireless stations within the group being configured for operation in a shared mode in substantially the same manner. 
     
     
       16. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on the digital processing apparatus of the computerized network apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:
 utilize the propagation model to configure each of at least the one or more of the plurality of wireless stations to operate in the shared mode in which use of respective assigned bandwidth thereof is modified in accordance with an antenna pattern and timing of the RADAR system. 
 
     
     
       17. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the shared mode operation for each of the wireless stations within the group comprises operation on an allowed channel during an allowed time slot. 
     
     
       18. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the allowed time slot is calculated using at least one of (i) a location of the wireless station, (ii) a location of the RADAR system, and (iii) a phase of operation of the RADAR system. 
     
     
       19. The computer readable apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the IIP data is augmented with additional data calculated in response to sensed energy from an environmental sensing (ES) network. 
     
     
       20. Computerized network apparatus of a content distribution network, the computerized network apparatus comprising:
 processing apparatus; 
 network interface apparatus in data communication with the processing apparatus; and 
 storage apparatus in data communication with the processing apparatus and comprising a plurality of computerized instructions executable on the processing apparatus, the plurality of computerized instructions configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the computerized network apparatus to:
 assign one or more spectrum grants of a shared spectrum to one or more respective wireless stations in a wireless network; 
 use incumbent informer provider (IIP) data to generate a propagation model of spectral and temporal use of the shared spectrum by a priority user; 
 determine, for at least one of the one or more wireless stations proximate the priority user of the shared spectrum, at least one respective spectrum grant modification that would avoid interference with the priority user; and 
 update at least one of the one or more spectrum grants associated with the at least one of the one or more wireless stations proximate the priority user, in accordance with the at least one respective spectrum grant modification.